Karoline Leavitt isn’t afraid to give reporters a piece of her mind and never has been. The Press Secretary is known to not hold back when it comes to speaking up. There have been several moments of Leavitt fearlessly clapping back at reporters and expressing her anger.
Here’s a rundown of the top three moments when Karoline Leavitt clapped back at reporters.
Reporter doubts Karoline Leavitt’s knowledge of tariffs
Karoline Leavitt might be the youngest Press Secretary in history, but that shouldn’t be the reason to doubt her capabilities. And she proved exactly that when a reporter doubted her knowledge of tariffs during a briefing.
The moment came soon after Trump declared hefty tariffs on several countries. A reporter from the Associated Press noted how Americans would have to pay higher tariffs on imported goods. He then went on to ask when Trump planned on making true on his promise to reduce taxes.
“Tariffs are a tax hike on foreign countries. Tariffs are a tax cut for the American people,” Leavitt was heard countering. Josh Boak, the reporter from AP, then questioned if Leavitt had “ever” paid a tariff. Because I have. They don’t get charged on foreign companies, they get charged on the importers,” he added, challenging the 27-year-old’s knowledge.
Leavitt immediately clapped back by noting how “insulting” it was that Boak had tried to test her “ knowledge of economics and the decisions that this president has made.” She concluded her answer but adding, “I now regret giving a question to the Associated Press.”
Karoline once called a reporter’s questions ridiculous
The moment where Karoline totally lost her calm came after Trump’s claims of a white genocide happening in South Africa. The President met up with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, it was then that he discussed the claim. A video of Julius Malema, the opposition party leader, encouraging the killings of white farmers was played during the meeting.
Trump had another video to show the South African President, which allegedly was proof of thousands of white farmers who were killed. Upon further digging, it was found that the video that showed thousands of gravesites was of a memorial that had been erected 5 years ago. The memorial honored farmers who had died in farm attacks.
Journalist: “What will it take for you to be convinced there is no white genocide in South Africa?”
Trump: “We have thousands of stories talking about it.”
The American president is currently debating white genocide in the Oval Office. Incredible times! pic.twitter.com/DfOiSeVliM
— Patrick Casey (@restoreorderusa) May 21, 2025
A journalist interrupted Leavitt during one of the briefings to point out the error that Trump had made during the meeting. “What protocols are in place when there’s unsubstantiated information being put out for the world and worldly leaders?” the same reporter questioned.
Leavitt acknowledged the error while adding that the fact that the numerous farmers had died could not be ignored. She went on to note how even AP had acknowledged the authenticity of the video that was played. “That’s a ridiculous line of questioning,” Karoline was heard snapping at the reporter before she took the next question.
Leavitt snapped at a journalist who asked her for proof
Karoline once snapped at a CNN journalist who cross-questioned her. The moment came after Trump’s claims about Joe Biden’s staffer signing presidential pardons on his behalf. The President claimed that the staff used an autopen to sign their own pardons while Biden was in office.
Karoline Leavitt refused a good follow up question from Kaitlan Collins.
Leavitt is as rude as her boss and it’s also crystal clear she knows she is full of shit.
— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) March 26, 2025
Kaitlan Collins from CNN asked Leavitt to provide proof to support the President’s bizarre claims. Leavitt ignored the demand for evidence while claiming that Biden’s deteriorating mental health was reason enough to doubt the authenticity of the pardons.
“We can all finally agree [Joe Biden] was cognitively impaired, I know it took people some time to finally admit that,” Leavitt claimed. Collins didn’t take that to be an acceptable answer and persistently asked for proof to support the claim. “You’re a reporter, you should find out,” Karoline declared, irritated by the question.
Scroll below to see photos of Karoline Leavitt.
